EPILOGUE
ZED
“Engagement, woohoo!”Tea moved her hands through the air, doing a weird dance that made Jesse grin like a fool. There was no music, but she and Jesse didn’t care. “Hopefully someone’s mate shows up and makes this a real party.”
“We’re already mated,” June reminded Tea. “It doesn’t get more connected than that.” Both of them were pretty headstrong, and had butted heads a little at times. But I was pretty sure they were past that—and damn, I loved hearing those words from my woman’s lips.
“What did you order?” I asked Elliot, as June tugged me a bit closer. My arm settled over her shoulder, and everything in the whole damn world was right.
I had always known I’d have a mate, but I’d never thought she’d be so vibrant. So sexy, and stubborn, and so damn alive. She was everything, and so much more.
“Yeah, what did you order? I’m starving.” Rocco teased Elliot, giving him a playful shove. He was holding a baby, so no one could shove him back, and he knew it.
We were all gathered at Elliot’s place, celebrating mine and June’s “official” engagement. Ford and Ebony had gotten married while my wolf was hunting June, and Tea and Jesse were only a couple weeks away from a wedding of their own. Everyone but us and the unmated guys were already as “official” as it got, according to Teagan.
I didn’t give a damn about any of that shit, but I did love the ring on June’s finger. Not because it was sparkly, but because of what it meant to her.
Because it meant she had decided she was mine.
“It’s Italian food. Don’t give me that look, Zed. It’s from that place out by the human houses that you like,” Elliot shot back.
I didn’t think I was giving him a look, but whatever.
June shot me a teasing smirk, and when I dipped my head to drop a kiss on her lips, she slipped her tongue right into my damn mouth.
Some of the pack hooted and others complained, but I didn’t give a shit. We could be the weird PDA couple; I was fine with that, because it meant that June was in my arms, and kissing me.
The doorbell rang.
“Food’s here,” Elliot called out. “I’ve got it.”
I was right by the door though, so I let go of June with one last kiss and headed over anyway. She swatted my ass as I walked away, and I shot her a searing look that promised exactly what I’d do to her when we got home.
She flashed a wicked grin right back.
“I forgot to put the cash under the doormat,” Elliot said quickly, jogging past me. “Don’t want to miss her.”
The delivery driver was a woman, I figured.
He flung the door open, digging through his wallet. “Sorry, I spaced on the tip. Here, thanks for—” He cut himself off.
I watched over his shoulder as the eyes of the twenty-something-year-old woman in the doorway, with a chubby little toddler on her hip, turned red.
Her breath staggered, and she nearly fell. Elliot caught both her and the baby. I was ready to step in and help, but then she said the one thing that kept my feet planted right where they had been.
Staring up at his eyes, she breathed, “Mate.”
I guess Teagan was right about turning it into a real party.